Okanogan River

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Okanogan River
Okanagan River
Course of the Okanogan River to the Columbia River

Course of the Okanogan River to the Columbia River

Data
Water code US :  1523981
location British Columbia (Canada), Washington (USA)
River system Columbia River
Drain over Columbia River  → Pacific Ocean
origin Okanagan Lake , British Columbia
49 ° 30 ′ 13 ″  N , 119 ° 36 ′ 42 ″  W
Source height 808  m
muzzle Columbia River in Lake Pateros , Washington (State) Coordinates: 48 ° 5 ′ 54 "  N , 119 ° 44 ′ 3"  W 48 ° 5 ′ 54 "  N , 119 ° 44 ′ 3"  W
Mouth height 238  m
Height difference 570 m
Bottom slope 1.8 ‰
length 314 km (from the end of Okanagan Lake to the mouth)
Catchment area 21,600 km²
Drain MQ
 86 m³ / s
Left tributaries Omak Creek
Right tributaries Similkameen River
Flowing lakes Okanagan Lake , Skaha Lake , Osoyoos Lake

The Okanogan River, or in Canada Okanagan River, is a 314 km (from the end of Okanagan Lake to the mouth) long orographic right tributary of the Columbia River in the south of the Canadian province of British Columbia and the north of the US state Washington .

It drains the high plateau called Okanogan Country east of the Cascade Range northwest of the Columbia River and the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia. Its catchment area covers 21,600 km².

River course

The Okanogan River drains Okanagan Lake , on the north side of the city of Penticton . It then flows south through Skaha Lake to Okanagan Falls and on via Oliver and Osoyoos , before crossing the border with the United States at Oroville in Okanogan County of Washington state as it flows through Osoyoos Lake . South of the border, the spelling of the river changes from Okanagan to Okanogan .

From Oroville the river is directed further south and flows past Okanogan and Omak . It forms the western limit of the Colville Indian Reservation . About 8 km east of Brewster the river flows into the Columbia River, between the Wells Dam and the Chief Joseph Dam further upstream.

Tributaries

The tributaries of the Okanogan River include the Similkameen River, which flows into Oroville from the west, and the Omak Creek near Omak from the left . The Bonaparte Creek at Wauconda supplies water from the Bonaparte Lake . To the west of San Poil , the water also empties from the Aeneas Valley. Salmon Creek in Okanogan only contributes to the river for a short time of the year because most of its water is diverted for irrigation purposes .

Hydrography

The United States Geological Survey operates a gauge in Malott , 27 km above the river mouth . The average mean annual runoff between 1958 and 2005 is 86 m³ / s here. The highest value recorded here was measured on June 3, 1972 with 1300 m³ / s. The lowest flow was observed on September 4, 1970 at 8 m³ / s.

Naming

Early maps from the heyday of the fur trade show the Okanogan River as the “Caledonia River” . This refers to the connecting route between the Columbia District and New Caledonia , which connects to the north of Okanagan Lake .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b c The Atlas of Canada - Rivers
  2. ↑ USGS ; Okanogan River in the United States Geological Survey's Geographic Names Information System ; Retrieved April 27, 2007.
  3. ↑ Okanogan Project , accessed December 31, 2014 (English)
  4. ↑ USGS Water Data Report WA-05-1, Okanogan Bassin (PDF; 2.2 MB). Retrieved January 27, 2008.